Day out on the canal

Chota and her fan club, Canal du Midi (Photo: Patricia Cooper)

As is our wont, we met our friends Patricia and Martin Cooper for lunch at Le Somail, meeting for the first time Martin's sister Nan, who is down with them for ten days or so.  Our lunch date was a good reason for me to crack on with the last painting, since it was commissioned by a friend of the Coopers who is frequently in Mèze, and we've left it with them until the owner returns next month.  

We had what turned out to be a private cruise down the canal to the first lock on the Canal de Jonction and back again.  Our friendly Dutch captain Ruud wasn't in the least bothered that he had only the five of us: indeed, he told Martin that if nobody buys tickets, he just sails on his own for the fun of it.  The canal banks are now bare of trees for long stretches, though Martin thinks there are experiments in progress using some new fungal treatment, presumably on healthy trees, or those that aren't that aren't too badly affected. 

Lunch at the Auberge du Somail was as good as ever, and not deadly expensive.  We paused to check its sister establishment, La Guinguette, at Argens-Minervois on the way home.  Pleasant enough, but nowhere close in charm to the location at Le Somail.  We might give it a try for lunch one day after shopping in nearby Lézignan.